Small business: Youll soon learn the benefits of training

From management down, aquiring new skills can make a crucial difference to a firms fortunes, writes Sandra OConnell

WHEN his biggest customer suddenly changed its business processes last year, the move could have proved fatal to Paul Brophy’s market garden firm. With this single customer accounting for 60% of sales, Brophy was forced to take “a long, hard look” at his 20-year-old business to see if it was still viable under the changed circumstances.

Had it not been for a management training course Brophy had undertaken recently, he believes he would not have known what to do in response. Brophy jumped into action, creating an added-value dimension to his products, diversifying and investing in equipment to help rebuild margins.

“I set up my business straight after a horticultural degree at the age of 20,” said Brophy. “Up until a few years ago, if you had put a set of management accounts in front of me, I would have been in trouble. There are a lot of people like